Mahabharata, Book 12, Section CCCLXIIIशान्तिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 12.363.

363Sanskrit adhyāya 12.363 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

भीष्म उवाच।
आसीत्किल नरश्रेष्ठ महापद्मे पुरोत्तमे।
गङ्गाया दक्षिणे तीरे कश्चिद्विप्रः समाहितः।।
सौम्यः सोमान्वये जातो जितात्मा गोत्रतो भृगुः।
धर्मनित्यो जितक्रोधो नित्यतप्तो जितेन्द्रियः।।
तपःस्वाध्यायनिरतः सत्यः सज्जनसंमतः।
न्यायप्राप्तेन वित्तेन स्वेन शीलेन चान्वितः।।
ज्ञाति संबन्धिविपुले पुत्रपौत्रप्रतिष्ठिते।
कुले महति विख्याते विशिष्टां वृत्तिमास्थितः।।
स पुत्रान्बहुलाँल्लब्ध्वा विपुले कर्मणि स्थितः।
कुलधर्माश्रितो राजन्धरर्मचर्यास्थितोऽभवत्।।
ततः स धर्मं वेदोक्तं तथा शास्त्राक्तमेव च।
शिष्टाचीर्णं च धर्मं च त्रिविधं चिन्त्य चेतसा।।
किंनु मे स्याच्छुभं कृत्वा किं कृतं किं परायणम्।
इत्येवं चिन्तयन्नित्यं न च याति विनिश्चयम्।।
तस्यैवं चिन्त्यमानस्य धर्मं परममास्थितः।
कदाचिदतिथिः प्राप्तो ब्राह्मणः सुसमाहितः।।
स तस्मै सत्क्रियां चक्रे क्रियायुक्तेन हेतुना।
विश्रान्तं सुसमासीनमिदं वचनमब्रवीत्।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते
शान्तिपर्वणि मोक्षधर्मपर्वणि
त्रिषष्ट्यधिकत्रिशततमोऽध्यायः।। 363।।

English Ganguli

"'"'Surya said, "This Being is not the god of fire, he is not an Asura. Nor is he a Naga. He is a Brahmana who has attained to heaven in consequence of his having been crowned with success in the observance of the vow called Unccha.[1941] This person had subsisted upon fruits and roots and upon the fallen leaves of trees. He had sometimes subsisted upon water, and sometimes upon air alone, passing his days with concentrated soul. The deity Mahadeva had been gratified by him with constant recitation of the Samhitas. He had endeavoured to accomplish those acts that lead to heaven. Through the merits of those acts he hath now attained to heaven. Without wealth and without desire of any kind, he had observed the vow called Unccha in the matter of his sustenance. This learned Brahmana, ye Nagas, had been devoted to the good of all creatures. Neither deities, nor Gandharvas, nor Asuras, nor Nagas, can be regarded as superior to those creatures that attain to this excellent end of coming into the solar disc?"—Even such, O regenerate one, was the wonderful incident that I beheld on that occasion. That Brahmana, who was crowned with success by the observance of the Unccha vow and who thus obtained an end that persons crowned with ascetic success acquire, to this day, O regenerate one, goes round the Earth, staying in the disc of Surya!'"'"

[NOTE: There was no section CCLXIV in the source edition.—JBH]